by Leon Kemp
Release Date: July 16, 2024
2024 HarperTeen
Ebook ARC; 304 Pages
ISBN: 978-0063324855
ASIN: B0CLJYCHJQ
Audiobook: B0CLMJKM7G
Genre: Fiction / Horror
Source: Review copy from publisher
3 / 5 Stars
Summary
Two years ago, Riley visited the abandoned and
allegedly haunted religious reform school Dominic House with his
boyfriend, Ethan, and his best friends, Colton and Vee. Ethan
never came out. Colton’s leg will never quite heal, Vee is branded as
hysterical, and Riley has horrific scars as a reminder of that night.
Now, at eighteen, Riley hasn’t exactly moved on, but he’s kept away from all things paranormal. Until legendary ghost chaser Jordan Jones shows up with an offer: return to Dominic House with her to film an episode of her Spirit Seekers TV show.
Riley may have vowed never to return, but he has unfinished business at Dominic House. With a reluctant Colton and Vee at his side, Riley is determined to find out what happened to Ethan once and for all.
Now, at eighteen, Riley hasn’t exactly moved on, but he’s kept away from all things paranormal. Until legendary ghost chaser Jordan Jones shows up with an offer: return to Dominic House with her to film an episode of her Spirit Seekers TV show.
Riley may have vowed never to return, but he has unfinished business at Dominic House. With a reluctant Colton and Vee at his side, Riley is determined to find out what happened to Ethan once and for all.
My Thoughts
Trespass Against Us was quite atmospheric and I definitely found it creepy at times. Because the story features three characters who have been traumatized by a past event, the author does make use of flashback episodes in order to compare the present and the past, something I enjoyed as I was able to compare the reactions of the characters from the previous scenario to now and understand a bit of their character development. Riley, Vee, and Colton nearly died the first time at the haunted house, so understanding how their enthusiasm for exploring haunted houses changed to experiencing major trauma was important to the story line and I do think the author did that very well.
The plot moved along rather quickly and I did find it quite gripping at times. Having shadows around you and constant whispering would have sent me right out the door so I always admire when characters stick around to discover what is occurring in a setting such as this.
For me, the main issue I had with the story was the character development as I just didn’t connect with any of them and they felt pretty one-dimensional. There were a few discrepancies within the story line and I couldn’t help rolling my eyes every time Jordan referred to Riley and company as ‘kids’ considering they were 18 years old. Even if Jordan and her crew don’t believe in ghosts, they could respect the fact that something serious happened to Riley and his friends a couple of years ago and leave the poor jokes at the door. Also, considering someone did not return from the previous stay at the house, why people would want to hide what they saw/heard/experienced is beyond me. If this is just a means to create suspense, I don’t think lack of communication works very well as a trope as it’s pretty annoying.
Verdict
Trespass Against Us had a nice creepy atmosphere with a dual timeline that I enjoyed. While the pacing was quick, it could be erratic and sometimes skipped over previous things that were mentioned as if the reader would forget they were there, and the character development needed work as I had difficulty empathizing with any of them. That being said, it was still interesting and I would definitely read another book by this author.
The plot moved along rather quickly and I did find it quite gripping at times. Having shadows around you and constant whispering would have sent me right out the door so I always admire when characters stick around to discover what is occurring in a setting such as this.
For me, the main issue I had with the story was the character development as I just didn’t connect with any of them and they felt pretty one-dimensional. There were a few discrepancies within the story line and I couldn’t help rolling my eyes every time Jordan referred to Riley and company as ‘kids’ considering they were 18 years old. Even if Jordan and her crew don’t believe in ghosts, they could respect the fact that something serious happened to Riley and his friends a couple of years ago and leave the poor jokes at the door. Also, considering someone did not return from the previous stay at the house, why people would want to hide what they saw/heard/experienced is beyond me. If this is just a means to create suspense, I don’t think lack of communication works very well as a trope as it’s pretty annoying.
Verdict
Trespass Against Us had a nice creepy atmosphere with a dual timeline that I enjoyed. While the pacing was quick, it could be erratic and sometimes skipped over previous things that were mentioned as if the reader would forget they were there, and the character development needed work as I had difficulty empathizing with any of them. That being said, it was still interesting and I would definitely read another book by this author.
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